Ford WindstarIntroduced in the mid-1990s, the front-wheel-drive Ford Windstar minivan campaigned with an emphasis on, and reputation for, safety. And in the hotly contested family minivan market of the time, that was an especially solid piece of ground to be on. As long as buyers didn't need to haul adults in back on a regular basis, the Windstar served a family's needs just fine.
I have a 2001 Ford Windstar V6 3.8L. My scan tool shows the codes below. My father was a mechanic and I work on my own vehicles if at all possible. I would appreciate any ideas of where to start with these codes. I don't want to start in the wrong place given all the automated and computerized things nowadays.
In addition to the codes below the driving symptom is that when I go to accelerate it bucks and you can hear a misfire or two. Cruising at some speeds is ok, but acceleration of any kind leads to the bucking and misfiring.
Thank you for any help!
P0171 system too lean (bank 1) (check engine code)
P0174 system too lean (bank 2)
How many miles on it? First with the misfire codes check those cylinders for spark for a starting point. Then with the lean codes for both banks check to see if you have any vac. leaks from lines or the intake itself. The Ford V6 engines have issues with the intake gaskets leaking. You can use carb cleaner or WD40 to check for the leak, be careful not to start a fire. As for the egr valve it may be bad or the ports maybe dirty. Hope this gets you started.
It has 118,435 miles on it. About a year ago, based on a code I replaced the egr valve, but the code remained. Recently the engine performance lessened and recently got worse. The codes showed up and we have driven it as little as possible.
I will check the other things you mentioned and get back as soon as possible with more information. Thanks, again.
We bought the van with about 60k miles on it. To my shame I have not replaced any wires or plugs. My wife said to do that first thing. I'm just checking for other easier or cheaper things to do first, as the v6 is sideways and Ford has punished me by hiding the back plugs against the firewall. Ok, I am lazy. But the plugs really are a BIG pain and I'm hoping for some other things to check first. Could the plugs and wires cause the lean bank situation? Or might it be a fuel filter?
Update: I have removed the hood, cowl, and (sub?) cowl (with wiper assembly) so that I can actually get to the backside spark plugs and wires. I am going to pick up some plugs and wires and see if replacing them helps. With regards to egr, I am going to try and pick up a replacement egr valve, also, to see if that helps the lean banks problem.
Silly question: Anthony and/or mark, other than checking vac lines and hoses, what is a good way to check for vac leaks? A homegrown way, that is, seeing as how I don't have vac meters or anything. Also, what is the trick with ether or wd40 to check leaking intake gaskets? And again, thank you for all your help.
Have the engine running and spray starting fluid all around the hoses and intake area, DO NOT GO CRAZY SPRAYING, USE SHORT BURSTS. Make sure you got a hose or extinguisher handy. You can use WD-40 for this trick also but when your done you will have to degrease the engine and all hoses you sprayed.
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Mark V
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Don't kill me...but...how does spraying the starting fluid on and around the lines help detect the leaks? I know putting soapy water on a tire shows bubbles so you know where to plug it, but how does the starting fluid find the leak? I know it's probably obvious, but that's a new trick to me. I appreciate your patience.
oh...about the hood....the Chilton's manual said do it from underneath but I don't have proper ramps and stuff to lift the huge van up enough and I don't want to be under it that long even with heavy duty jackstands. The manual suggested that it might be easier to do it with the cowl(s) off, and I decided to remove the hood, also, since it wasn't a big deal. I think it will be a little easier with the hood off, although it does sound like overkill.
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misfire 2001 Ford Windstar V6 3.8L 
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